Giving
by ZCathie1998
Summary: AU/Canon divergence for 3x11 What really made Lucifer decide to stay in L.A.? [Fluff about Deckerstar]


**Hey! So I had this planned out before episode 3x11 but I didn't write it until after I saw it. It was a great episode but I wish there was something more meaningful than a random woman's words that convinced him to truly stay in L.A. So in the end I decided to write this up. It was inspired by one of Ildy's tweets asking what was the real reason that Lucifer stayed in L.A. that she tweeted before the episode aired. Enjoy :)**

Then   
Every morning Chloe went to her favourite cafe in L.A. to get her morning coffee. The coffee shop was small and warm, bustling with people who came for the grand coffee and famous apple pie. However, the real reason why it was so busy was because of its wall of coloured sticky notes. People could write something on a sticky label and stick it on the wall or they could take a sticky label off it. It was a real attraction around the place and brought many feel-good moments to the customers who frequented there. Chloe made it her routine to go every morning for said coffee and go every afternoon after work. If she had a good day, she left a note to cheer someone else up. If she had a bad day she took a note to cheer herself up. It was her tradition. On the particular day in question, she retrieved her morning coffee from the young, flirty barista who was far too young to be grinning at her the way he was and she beamed at the coloured wall, wondering what her day would bring. Would it end in giving or taking?

Lucifer was avoiding his brother. He strolled down L.A. streets, alive with a chaotic ambience. He knew he'd brother would find him soon, and off to Hell they'd both go. Deep down he knew he had to return home but he wasn't quite ready to let his latest visit come to an end yet. He breathed in the smog-filled air and watched the traffic crawl along bloated roads. He spent the day wandering. Alone. He felt oddly calm in this frantic place. Devoid of any form of lust or desire, he couldn't bring himself to be disappointed that he'd spent his last day without the pleasures of human company.

The sun began to set and Chloe had finished work for the day. She had learned long ago not to judge her day based on whether a homicide case had landed in her lap or not because that was literally her job. Instead, it was about how the day made her feel. Today, she decided, had been a good day. As she wandered into Notes-about-Coffee, such a cheesy name she had first thought when she found the place, she chose a bright pink sticky note to write on.

 _In L.A. I can be whoever I want to be. I can be a cop, a wife, a mum. But you can be those things anywhere. So what is it about L.A.? In L.A. I am loved by other people. And when you are in a place that you are loved, you can be anyone you want to be. You can be home._

She smiled to herself and stuck it on the wall, at her eye level, off to the left side. She gave a friendly wave to the poor barista who must have had an all-day shift today and hurried out, ready to get home to Trixie. Her shoulder brushed past a tall man in a well-tailored suit but she didn't notice, her mind already a million miles away.

Lucifer walked into Notes-about-Coffee on a whim. He scoffed out loud at the name but deep down he smiled. When he walked in he was greeted by what he described as a monstrosity. Clashing bright colours covered one wall, ruining the remaining décor in his opinion. He strolled over to take a closer look at the wall, his eyes skimming over various messages from the humans of the City of Angels and even more from the many tourists who felt this place was 'insta-worthy'. One particular pink sticky note caught his eye, well the corner of his eye as he had to crouch a little to be read it properly. The phrase, ' _whoever you want to be_ ' caught his attention and drew him in. His eyes flicked to a sign on the wall, informing people to either take a note, leave one or do both. He took the note.

That night Amenadiel returned to Heaven without his customary pit stop back to Hell.

Lucifer stayed in Los Angeles.

Now

Lucifer was rifling through his desk drawer looking for a working pen. Chloe stood next to him, holding their crude contract promising hours of naked fun. Her grin was light and she was at ease. Lucifer was frustrated. All he needed was a drop of ink and he would be well on the way to bliss. A bright pink square caught Chloe's eye as Lucifer finally retrieved what would be a working pen from the back of the draw. He went to scribble on the pink square before realising what it was and drew on the back of his hand instead.

He grinned his trademark Cheshire grin.

"Now if you'd just sign…"

Chloe's hand darted into the draw, stopping Lucifer short. She pulled her the pink sticky note. _Her_ pink sticky note.

"What's this?" she demanded.

Lucifer sighed with good-natured irritation.

"The reason I stayed in L.A."

"You were stalking me?" Chloe demanded in shock.

Lucifer looked confused and continued as if Chloe hadn't spoken, which to him she hadn't, as she made no sense whatsoever.

"You see there was this odd little coffee shop, I can't remember its name. I've only been their once. I was about to go back to Hell when I found this message…" he began to read it out when Cloe cut him off.

"I know what it says."

"You do?" Lucifer asked confused as Chloe realised that this wasn't some grand scheme that he planned from way back then. It was simply a coincidence. Fate.

"Anyway," Lucifer continued. "I was going to go home when I realised Hell wasn't really my home. I wasn't loved there. I wasn't loved anywhere, mind you, but I at least felt liked here on Earth. And then there was the promise of being whoever I wanted to be. I liked that. Of course, the sex, drugs and partying may have contributed to my staying."

He was rambling now and Chloe rested a hand on his arm.

"Read it to me, I actually can't see what it says," she whispered.

"In L.A. I can be whoever I want to be. I can be a cop, a wife, a mum. But you can be those," he stopped abruptly, taking in the first two sentences and then suddenly noticing the way the faded ink letters sat and curved.

"Chloe…" There was a question at the end of his sentence but he already knew the answer.

She nodded, a little breathless, "I can't believe you grabbed it. I can't believe it made you want to stay."

"Even then, you were there, guiding me home," he whispered, cupping her jaw. She closed her eyes, resting her forehead against his and smiled.

 **I didn't know how to end it! I'm sorry! Also Notes-about-Coffee was a play on words for nuts about coffee for those who didn't get it.**


End file.
